By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- Ryu Hae-ran is off to a strong start in her pursuit of a third straight LPGA major title.

Ryu, world No. 3, shot a five-under 66 in the opening round of the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England, on Thursday (local time). The South Korean had six birdies and one bogey to sit tied for second place with Shiho Kuwaki of Japan.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand leads the tournament after a bogey-free 64.

Ryu is trying to become just the fifth LPGA player to win three majors in one season, having already captured the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship earlier this month.

She is also looking to become the first player to win three LPGA majors in a row since fellow South Korean Park In-bee in 2013.

Ryu opened her tournament with a birdie on the par-3 first and collected three more birdies on the front nine. She rode the par train for seven holes before bogeying the par-4 15th. Ryu then recovered to birdie the very next hole and finished with her sixth birdie of the day at the par-4 18th.

"Honestly, this was a really difficult round," Ryu said afterward. "With so many bunkers on this course, I didn't hit my drive that much, but I still ended up in three bunkers. I made just one bogey, and so it was a good day in that sense. I think I will have to stay careful over the next three days."

Ryu said hard and undulating fairways make it difficult for her to predict where her tee shots will end up.

"Since I am teeing off in the afternoon tomorrow, it will probably be windier," Ryu said. "I will have to accept my situation."

Ryu, who had not won a major before this year's breakthrough, said her recent hot streak has helped her with the mental side of the game.

"I have become calmer and I am not overthinking as much," the 25-year-old said. "I am now able to keep things simple, instead of worrying about where things may go wrong. Maybe because of that, my scores have improved."

Ryu is the only South Korean in the top 10 after the opening round. Three players from the country are tied for 17th at one-under 70, including the 18-year-old amateur Yang Yun-seo.

Nelly Korda, world No. 1 who won the season's first two majors before Ryu went on a run, shot a two-over 73 to find herself tied for 53rd.

jeeho@yna.co.kr

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